lexiedhb
Well-Known Member
No idea my dog is the one on the lead!!!
No idea my dog is the one on the lead!!!
Would you be more understanding if the other dog walker appeared out of no where but then re-acted and got the situation under control, is it the lack of responsibilty when other dog walkers meet you and they think the situation is funny rather than irritating? (none of the dogs are aggressive or they wouldn't be allowed off leash, but 2 are larger and people seem to think they are going to eat their dogs).
I think it's all about manners. If I can see that someone is making an effort to control their dogs, then I'm appreciative. We share the dog tracks, bridleways, forests, etc. after all. But, yes, if someone thinks it's either funny or cute to let their dog basically harrass Fred then that makes me cross. There may be all sorts of reasons why my dog is on the lead . . . yesterday I chose to leash them both because I couldn't keep them out of the river (they are both addicted to the water) and the water was so cold they were in danger of becoming hypothermic . . . knowing how "funny" Fred can be when on lead, I made a point of stepping off the path and putting both dogs into a sit whenever we saw other dogs coming - I can't get much more proactive than that . . . all I ask is that other dog owners make an effort too.
P
Accidents happen, goodness knows we are only human and our dogs are only canine - so if someone is doing their best you can't be mad at them, as it could be you struggling next time!
I had an interesting encounter with some riders yesterday.
going down the bridlepath, three horses came up behind me - I called jasper back and put him on the lead. Bella was off in the field by the bridleway so called her back, so i called to the riders and said - I have another dog here, she's just coming - and they kept coming, no intention of stopping and letting me catch her and put her on the lead. She is excellent with horses, but they didn't know that. They were nearly on top of me so I said, politely - do you think you could just stop a second while i put her on the lead so its safe. I got a torrent of abuse - the girl in front said that "I can control half a ton of horse around dogs, so I don't know what your problem is and why you are so rude!"
By that time I was a bit hacked off - I told them that I rode, and I would have stopped to wait for someone to put their dogs on the lead because that was POLITE. I would have also said THANK YOU.
And you wonder why you bother when you get attitude like that. It also happens that I met them on the road before our walk, and not one said thank you to me for letting them cross the road in front of me, so I guess I shouldn't of expected courtesy.
Maybe her half-a-ton of horse might not appreciate the dog owner who doesn't put their dog back on the lead and subsequently gets chased!